Ok

Nice book, but the speaker sounds bored when he reads. The beginning of sort of boring but the conflict is fun.

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Sit down and hold on tight for a roller coaster ride

I really enjoyed this book, there was so much going on that I wanted to listen to it all in one sitting to find out what happens next but then when it ended it was like no it can't be finished yet.

The story was very good with a very likeable hero and cast (that had you crossing your fingers that they would still be with you at the end). It jumped around a bit setting the stage before the bomb detonated but after that I really got into the story and found myself wondering just what else could go wrong on the flight from hell.

The narrator was very good and helped the story flow along nicely.

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4 people found this helpful

Wow, great listen

Where does Airliner Down rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

Near the top. Not the absolute best, but it's up there.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Airliner Down?

Too many to mention. Just a great ride throughout.

Which character – as performed by Alan Taylor – was your favorite?

Kevin

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2 people found this helpful

good book for a road trip.

makes you think twice about flying. kept us listening on our road trip. needed an 8 hr book so we could finish it

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Disaster aboard an airliner

“Airliner Down” is a fast-paced stand-alone technical thriller written by John Etzil. For the author’s premiere novel, the book tells a memorable story that feels a little like the movie Die Hard with pieces of Airport 75 sprinkled in. The majority of the events take place on an aircraft over the Pacific Ocean. For me, the events that unfold are not something any of us want to happen, yet the author does a decent job of making them believable. The audiobook narration was well performed by Alan Taylor; a rather prolific narrator on Audible with nearly 90 books at the time of this review. If you are one who enjoys a decent thriller story containing good research and realistic feeling events, I recommend you give the book a try. I think you will be surprised how engrossing Airliner Down can be. Is it perfect, no; but that is OK. There are a few periods of turbulence along the way, yes as with a real flight, turbulence is often limited in duration and only small annoyances often overlooked once the journey is complete.

On a side note, like the author, I too am a private pilot and I have family who works for the airline industry. That was one of my main reasons for listening to the book. So, I’m aware of many of the more technical aircraft and airline details the author includes in his book. I thought his research and ability to explain some of the more technical aspects of the industry were spot on. There were a few slight issues or things I would have added, yet I understand not wanting to overwhelm people who may be less technical with too much detail. It is a thriller that takes place on an airplane, not an airplane thriller. I enjoyed the inclusion of industry-specific vocabulary such as jump seat, buddy pass, etc. I felt the characters themselves also had personality and felt multi-dimensional as the book progressed. We clearly see how revenge can consume a person and cause them to do anything for payback. A few of the character’s life events and dysfunctional elements seemed over the top, at times, but this could be due to my rather uneventful upbringing. The writing, though strong, seemed at the time to be more young adult (YA). The story was able to carry these downfalls so do not let this discourage you from listening. I know it is the author’s first novel, and I would expect to see his writing mature in future books.

A few other areas that I felt could have been stronger were the way communication was handled between the airline, center, and the aircraft. Although the systems are rather antiquated when compared to our modern smartphone’s ability to text, it seemed like radio or ACARS was not in scope. I am not a structural engineer nor someone who is an expert in aerodynamics or flight characteristics, but I felt the damage caused to the airline was more than an aircraft would be able to withstand inflight. Again, such over-the-top aspects can add to the suspense or build-up of tension wondering when everything will fall apart.

Regarding the book audio narration, I felt that Alan Taylor did a decent job. The book did have a few places where there were volume inconsistencies and I thought I picked up some background noises, yet these were few and far between. The narrator also did a good job of voicing the multiple characters found in the book and keeping their voices consistent. I would have preferred better female narration. However, I understand how difficult it can be for a male narrator to voice female characters well. Overall, the narration was good and neither added or subtracted from the story itself. I will have to listen to more books by this narrator to really know his style and skill.

For parents and younger readers, be aware that this book contains adult subject matter along with vulgar language; at times quite heavy. The author includes innuendoes and multiple places containing sexual topics or discussions of sex. There is also some focus on relationships and infidelity, yet the author uses this to weave in a few parts of the story along the way. I would not recommend the book to younger readers or anyone offended by anything mentioned above.

In summary, the book held my attention. I liked that I had a background in both aircraft and the airline industry, but this is not required to enjoy the book. The book has well-defined story aspects giving it the feel of a well-developed story. Even with a few of the bumps along the way, I would ask that the captain turn on the seatbelt sign as this book does take you on a thrill ride. Enjoy the trip!

Audiobook was provided for review by the author/narrator/publisher.

Please find this complete review and many others at my review blog.

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7 people found this helpful

exciting airline thriller

it was very intense throughout most of the story. great details on the ins and outs of airplanes and the science behind air travel. i enjoyed it

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2 people found this helpful

Suspenseful

Wow, The story keeps getting better. Definetly a page turner. love the characters and storyline. Absolutely draws you in.

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1 person found this helpful

Horribly predictable.

This book was completely predictable in all of the action scenes and it was far too predictable in the plot twists. After reading (and listening) other aviation fiction stories written by other authors, most notably John J. Nance, this story suffers badly from characters that are under-developed and plot twists that are predictable throughout the story. After reading books written by authors such as Stephen King, Dean Koontz, and John Nance, just to name a few, I have gotten spoiled with good, strong character development and unfortunately there is none of that present in this book. I enjoy reading books that have characters so well developed that I can close my eyes and picture what they look like, how they speak, or even how they may hehave if they were real. But, the characters in this book are so thinly developed that as a reader or listener, I don't really have a connection with the characters as they arrive throughout the story. This leads the reader, or listener, to not really care a lot about the characters or the events as they occur in the story. To wrap up the review, the story is a good idea but the execution as it was written, leaves something to be desired.

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2 people found this helpful